Review of First Man (2018) by Itsjustarcher — 02 Nov 2018

First Man proves that Damien Chazelle can direct a damn good movie whether it's a musical or not. Although I have a few issues with the film, the overall experience I got from the film was just breathtaking and out of this world... literally! This is definitely a great film to watch in theaters.

Like I said, I have a few issues with the film. For one, the cinematography, although it's mostly great. Sometimes I just can't focus too much on the screen because of some shaky cam shots. I admire the fact that most of the film's shots are close-up shots of the characters' faces, the similar way The Safdie Brothers' Good Time was shot. Because that way, we get to see the characters' emotion fully expressed in the scenes, although admittedly, this distracted me a bit because I feel like I wanted to see more of the characters' environment. Another problem is that the ending felt anticlimactic. It was subtle, yes, but it made me wanting more, in a bad way because of how much I was invested with the story that I wanted to see what happens afterwards.

Other than that, this movie was pretty great! The '60s atmosphere of the film felt real because most of the film (correct me if I'm wrong) is shot on film, which gives the grainy-ish texture of the cinematography on screen. The atmosphere and tone of the film was consistent. The scenes that take place on NASA and on the moon were intense. The Gemini 8 sequence is one of the most breathtaking and intense moments I have ever seen in a long time and it gave me chills and goosebumps for a while. And the music, although I thought it could've been better, really fits with the scenes that play the score. Ryan Gosling does a great job, as always. All the actors did a great job. And the script was well written. And I had a blast with this film.